At IBM, our approach is twofold: we are working to make our existing products and processes more efficient for both the environment and for business, while also developing new innovations that can help the world become smarter, drive economic and operational improvements, increase accountability and lessen environmental impact.
5 years ago - Good products and profits have long been the hallmark of successful businesses, but in a shifting economic landscape these traditional metrics no longer hold up, as consumers, employees and investors are increasingly looking to corporations to act on environmental and social issues. So how can businesses succeed in an age of disruption?
5 years ago - Welcome to the tipping point of capitalism. At a time defined by political scandals, nuclear threats, and turbulence on Wall Street, business is society’s unlikeliest hero. A series of watershed statements, reports and initiatives from some of the world’s most well-known capitalists is heralding a new zeitgeist, during which businesses are expected to exist to benefit society — not just shareholders.
5 years ago - Fortune has named 12 Sustainable Brands Members to its 2018 list of Worlds Most Admired Companies. The list ranks companies based on their reputation among business leaders, and is gathered through surveys with executives across more than 50 industries. Executives are asked to name companies that they admire, both inside and outside of their industry. Companies are assessed on nine attributes, including innovation, people management, use of assets, social responsibility, management quality, financial soundness, long-term investment value, quality of products and services, and global competitiveness.
5 years ago - Last week, in response to President Trump’s decision to scale back Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, outdoor retail brand and sustainability leader Patagonia in turn announced it would be suing the President, a definitively bold move — even for the likes of the brand that brought us “Don’t Buy This Jacket” an
5 years ago - IBM has announced that it is teaming up with Walmart, JD.com and Tsinghua University National Engineering Laboratory for E-Commerce Technologies to launch a Blockchain Food Safety Alliance to enhance food tracking, traceability and safety in China.
5 years ago - JUST Capital, a nonprofit research organization, and Forbes have released the 2017 edition of the JUST 100 List, which ranks publicly traded companies in the US on their performance to act on the priorities of the public.
5 years ago - The new wave of conscious consumption, driven largely by millennials and Gen Z, is pushing companies to innovate around social causes.
5 years ago - In the largest, most robust, industry-leading and internationally-recognized research of corporate social engagement, CECP: The CEO Force for Good, in association with The Conference Board, found in their annual Giving in Numbers report that IBM is a leader in corporate social responsibility programs. CECP’s annual report gathers data from 258 of the world’s largest companies, in aggregate representing $7.6 trillion in revenue and 16.8 million employees, and found that among corporate peers, IBM was among the top 25% of companies—or top quartile--when measuring total giving.
5 years ago - I recently moderated an enlightening panel discussion — between Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Bay Area Council President and CEO Jim Wunderman, San Francisco Travel President & CEO Joe D’Alessandro, and Oakland Zoo President & CEO Dr. Joel Parrott — on why the new California Trail development, an $80 million expansion project at the Oakland Zoo, matters to the people who live, play, work and visit the Bay Area.
5 years ago - Bringing the business case for sustainability to the forefront, Fortune has released its third annual Change the World list, which highlights companies who are having a positive social or environmental impact on the world through their core business strategy. The fifty selected companies, which span a variety of industries, come from all across the globe and have annual revenues of at least $1 billion. In partnership with FSG and Shared Value Initiative, Fortune ranks companies across three main criteria:
5 years ago - The food industry has been abuzz with talk of traceability as of late, with the emergence of new technologies — such as Avery Dennison’s RFID tags and Sourcemap and Provenance’s new blockchain traceability tool — that are making it easier than ever for businesses to address inefficiencies and unsustainable and unethical practices along their supply chains.
5 years ago - At IBM, responsibility is integral to our business and draws us to social challenges where we can matter, where innovation and expertise can improve communities and lives. Our approach involves forging sustained partnerships with nonprofit organizations, government agencies, academia and other companies — allied in purpose, focused on results. Our ongoing work across a range of activities is detailed in our 2016 Corporate Responsibility Report.
5 years ago - While tech heavy-hitter IBM and beverage giant Coca-Cola rev up efforts to kick climate change to the curb, the UK private sector continues to lag behind in cutting CO2 emissions. IBM has ticked two major to-dos off of its sustainability checklist. Set in February 2015 and assigned by the American Business Act on Climate Change Pledge, the company exceeded both commitments four years ahead of schedule.
5 years ago - The Civic 50, an initiative of Points of Light, recognizes the 50 most community-minded companies in the nation each year. Civic 50 companies are putting communities at the center of change to create more enduring and sustainable business models. The Civic 50 winners included several SB Corporate Members this year. The list included:
6 years ago - With Earth Day 2017 quickly fading in the rearview mirror, I’m reminded of the challenge we face every other day of the year: maintaining high awareness and action on sustainability issues. Government agencies and nonprofits have traditionally shouldered the greatest responsibility for year-round efforts aimed at influencing behaviors that benefit individuals and society. But a growing number of forward-thinking businesses and brands are beginning to invest in the kind of genuine behavior change programs known as “social marketing” – or, when done by a corporation, “corporate social marketing.”
6 years ago - The U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Corporate Citizenship Center and IBM have issued a new report that explores how efforts by businesses to be a positive force in communities – commonly referred to as corporate social responsibility (CSR) – influences public perception of those companies. The report, titled, “The CSR Effect: Social Media Sentiment and the Impact on Brands,” examines the connection between companies that promote their corporate citizenship work and the resulting impact on public sentiment.
6 years ago - IBM and Energy-Blockchain Labs have launched the world’s first blockchain-based carbon credit management platform based on the open source, openly governed by Hyperledger Fabric, a blockchain technology that is intended as a foundation for developing blockchain applications or solutions.
6 years ago - The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recently recognized IBM as an early leader in setting greenhouse gas emission reduction goals. In its new report Corporations: Unlikely Heroes in America’s Quest for Climate Action, WWF describes how companies like IBM know they can save money by becoming more efficient, securing less-expensive renewable energy, and reducing market volatility risk while lowering emissions. IBM has been taking aggressive actions against climate change since the 1990s, and our commitment remains to this day. Among these actions is our call to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with our electricity and fuel consumption.
6 years ago - Ten companies and organizations, two partnerships, and three individuals today will receive 2017 Climate Leadership Awards for their accomplishments in reducing greenhouses gas emissions and addressing climate change. The awards, now in their sixth year, are a partnership program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, and The Climate Registry. The awards are being presented this evening at the 2017 Climate Leadership Conference in Chicago. This year’s awardees represent a wide array of industries including finance, consumer products, retail, aviation, and technology, plus federal and local government.
6 years ago - In a joint effort to improve the quality of life in urban areas, IoT and Smart City platform provider Fybr has teamed with IBM’s Watson Internet of Things group. This new partnership will bring sensor data from Fybr’s Smart City Platform to IBM’s Bluemix Cloud to take advantage of Watson’s advanced analytics capabilities to add continuous learning and contextual data to Fybr’s sensor data.